The HEPI Blog aims to make brief, incisive contributions to the higher education policy landscape. It is circulated to our subscribers and published online. We welcome guest submissions, which should follow our Instructions for Blog Authors. Submissions should be sent to our Blog Editor, Josh Freeman, at [email protected].
When I wrote London Higher’s Living and Learning in London report a year ago, we were the first organisation to use HEPI/AdvanceHE’s Student Academic Experience Survey data to investigate how student experience differs in a particular UK region. We looked at London students’ answers to the survey questions, and we…
Degree apprenticeships. They’re Skills Minister Robert Halfon’s “two favourite words in the English language” and we’re at the beginning of a whole week dedicated to raising awareness and celebrating the many benefits of apprenticeships at all levels (yes this year’s National Apprenticeships Week does clash with World Nutella Day, but…
UK higher education has had a strong international reputation for many years. However, increasing competition for international students and recent reputational challenges may hinder UK institutions’ ability to support global higher education growth, and the growing need for upskilling and reskilling. Whilst there are challenges, UK higher education remains in…
The logic of fees Whether we like it or not, there is one higher education issue that tends to bestride all the others at general elections, and that is tuition fees. In many ways, that is an odd fact. Undergraduate fees have existed in some form or other in most…
I was delivering training to teaching staff this week about the perils and pitfalls of predicted grades. When I gave a statistic about the number of our students that were placed at first or insurance choice university despite missing grades, a colleague thoughtfully asked, ‘but are they happy and succeeding…
***We are hosting General Election Briefings with London Economics and the Nuffield Foundation in the four UK capitals across February and March – you can sign up here.*** Here are a few downsides to joint tenancies for students, and why I consider they should not be compulsory. Sounds complicated? It…
HEPI has previously published two blogs outlining how this Bill might affect student accommodation (here and here). This two-part blog analyses recent developments and suggests that the current proposals will actually reduce rather than enhance housing rights for students. Background Whilst fixed-term tenancy arrangements will remain the norm for purpose-built…
Yesterday’s announcement from Robert Halfon, Minister for Higher Education, confirmed the expected news that student maintenance loans will be increased by just 2.5%. This announcement also confirms the Russell Group’s recent projected analysis, which shows that students entitled to the maximum loan will now be almost £2000 worse off than…
Opportunities for lifelong learning are an essential part of a happy, productive and educated society. In fact, the Lancet Public Health journal has published a report stating that an adult’s risk of mortality drops by two per cent for every year they spend in full-time education. Therefore, a new policy…
Just over a month ago, our Prime Minister, Rt Hon Rishi Sunak, made a statement in his speech to the Conservative party conference. He said that: “The false dream of 50 per cent of children going to university […] was one of the great mistakes of the last 30 years.”…